What is the purpose of authorization tables in an information system?

Authorization tables play a crucial role in the management of permissions and access levels within an information system, ensuring that users can only access data and resources for which they have been granted rights. The primary purpose of these tables is to verify the implementation of logical access controls.

By cross-referencing users with their associated permissions, authorization tables help establish whether a user has the necessary rights to perform specific actions, such as viewing or modifying sensitive data. This verification process is critical to maintaining the integrity of the system and protecting against unauthorized access, as it delineates the boundaries of what users can do based on their role within the organization.

In contrast to other options, authorization tables do not enforce physical access controls, which are physical barriers like locks and security personnel. They also do not manage network traffic, as this pertains to the flow of data rather than user permissions. Lastly, while authorization tables support authentication processes, they do not independently authenticate user identities; rather, they work in conjunction with authentication mechanisms to facilitate access control after user identities have been confirmed.